Tell Me A Story
by Tsukita
Summary: A 'what if' scenario. Rosette asks to hear a story that Chrno isn't sure he wants to tell. Oneshot, CR centered.


Author's Note: Wow. I'm honestly impressed that I actually got the courage to post a story, me being extremely shy about letting anyone else read something I wrote. I really hope people like it, because I probably won't put up many more stories … unless I get a lot of encouragement that is! This idea just came to me one day, so if you guys don't like it, blame my psychotic mind! And it's taken more from the manga than the anime, but since I was writing this while watching episode 9, there could be some references.

Disclaimer – I don't own CC. If I did, there would be quite a few interesting changes … heh heh!

**Tell Me a Story**

The sky became painted with hues of pastel blues, pinks, and purples as the sun rose over the gorgeous Michigan landscape, illuminating everything in its path. On the far side of a vast forest, the figure of a young boy sat silently on an enormous boulder overlooking a peaceful lake. His long violet locks moved in time to the gentle winds, for they had not yet been tied back. Ever since the two children he had so quickly grown to love stumbled across his slumbering form in the old musty tomb, the eldest, Rosette, never let him go for long without braiding his exceedingly long hair.

A tiny smile made its way to the person's lips as he thought about the boy and girl who had immediately trusted him without question, even though he was a demon.

'That's right,' he reminded himself, 'I am a demon. Someone who has done far more evil than can ever be forgiven. The slayer of a hundred; a monster feared by all. And the one who took the life of-'

"Hey!" A little voice called out to him, breaking his train of thought(much to his relief). "Chrno! I'm over here! Come on!" Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the familiar form of a little girl in pigtails, holding a picnic basket to show she'd brought food. Chrno grinned and headed down to meet her, suddenly wondering where her brother was.

"Rosette, where's Joshua?" he asked once he reached the high-spirited orphan who was currently setting up drinks and sandwiches for the two of them.

"Well, you see …" she began, looking strangely pleased, "Joshua's been reading a new book about 'escape artists' lately, and since Ms. Jean won't let him outside today, he said that I should go on ahead and that he would catch up later. I think he's going to try sneaking out to prove he's just as good as those guys in his novel!"

Chrno chuckled, having no doubts whatsoever that the adventure craving boy would pull such a stunt. An extra sandwich, he noted, remained tucked in the basket, showing Rosette had faith her little brother would escape from the orphanage eventually.

For several minutes the demon and the girl sat quietly, doing nothing more than enjoying each other's company. Then, almost hesitantly, Rosette broke the silence with a question.

"Um, Chrno? Will you tell me a story?"

He noticed her reluctance to ask something that appeared to be so simple, but couldn't figure out why. She and Joshua were always asking for more tales, officially dubbing him the 'best story-teller in the world.' Neither of the children ever had trouble asking him for a story before.

To ease whatever discomfort she had, Chrno smiled and replied, "Sure, any particular one you'd like to hear?"

Rosette shifted nervously, suddenly closing her eyes and blurting out, "I want to know the story of why you were in that tomb when we found you."

Chrno blanched, his eyes going wide in fear. In truth, the devil was afraid of reopening wounds that had never really healed in the first place. He had been trying desperately to forget the horrors of his past, burying the pain deep inside where he hoped it wouldn't be able to claw its way out.

"I'm sorry, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Rosette whimpered seeing his horrified reaction, "but if you want to talk about it, I'll listen." She seemed ashamed to have even brought up the subject, keeping her embarrassed gaze locked on the gently swaying grass. That is, until she heard a timid voice whisper, "If you want to know, I'll tell you."

The twelve-year-old glanced at Chrno, who appeared to be fighting some sort of internal struggle with himself. When he looked up, his crimson orbs were clouded with grief, yet they burned with fiery determination.

"There once was a demon named Chrno," he began, choosing to relay his life's events in third person to make it easier, "who, along with his other demon friends, decided to overthrow the ruler of their world to start a new life. Because of this, they were considered outcasts among their own kind known as 'Sinners.' They didn't care, however, and continued to pursue their dream of becoming free. One day, they did it. The leader, Pandaemonium, was killed by the Sinners, and what they needed was her head. But during a battle with pursuers, it was lost over the Grand Canyon. So th-"

"Chrno?" Rosette interrupted, "What's a pursuer?"

"Oh, a pursuer is a demon sent to capture or kill those who have done wrong," he explained.

The blonde's face bore a look of unease after this information had been said, and Chrno couldn't help but ask what was wrong.

"Well …" she started, fidgeting nervously, "yesterday I punched Billy for calling me annoying, and I also took two cookies when I was only supposed to have one, oh, and just this morning I stole Kevin's glasses and lied about it! I gave them back, but …"

The devil, now thoroughly confused, continued to stare at the babbling girl until she realized he had no idea what she was talking about.

"Didn't you say pursuers came after people who did bad stuff?" she inquired, her innocence causing Chrno to smile.

"I did say that, but don't worry. They only come for _demons _who've disobeyed the law, not humans." Rosette visibly relaxed, earning a chuckle from her companion. However, his moment of happiness vanished once he realized the story was not yet finished.

Taking a deep breath, the devil continued, "To find Pandaemonium's head, they needed assistance from someone who could see the future, for she held incredible power. With her help, the demons were able to recover their prize and head back to where they came."

"What was her name?" Rosette asked suddenly. Chrno, refusing to make eye contact, waited several seconds before muttering, "Her name was Mary … Mary Magdalene." His face held a sadness that the little orphan had never seen before; he looked even worse than she had felt after the death of her parents.

Before she could dwell on the subject for much longer, the violet haired man continued, "With Mary around, each of the Sinners changed and became happier. They still needed to complete their goal by retrieving information from the head of Pandaemonium, but they created many new, wonderful memories with one another in the meantime. And yet … all things must come to an end eventually. Somehow, Pandaemonium's precious memories infused themselves into Mary's mind, and the leader of the Sinners, Aion, announced that it would be best to kill her."

At this point, he paused to regain his composure, not liking what would come next. He heard a gasp from Rosette, who exclaimed, "They didn't kill her, did they?"

Chrno sighed and replied, "Aion's most devoted friend, who happened to be Chrno, was ordered to do the job, but he couldn't."

The girl breathed a sigh of relief, but the devil knew his story would not have a happy ending.

"Aion was mad for such disobedience and broke Chrno's horns, meaning that soon the demon would loose all astral and die unless sealed into a weaker form, such as the one you see before you."

Chrno could tell at this point Rosette wanted to ask a great deal of questions, but held back due to her increasing interest in the tale.

"Mary and Chrno fell from the place they had once called their home, the latter seriously wounded. Seeing this, Mary made a contract with him to heal his injuries, but at the cost of her own life being shortened. Chrno didn't know this at the time, though, and couldn't figure out why she became weaker and weaker every passing day. He blamed her struggle to keep the pressing memories at bay, even though somewhere deep inside he knew it was more than that."

At this point, Chrno wasn't sure if he could go on, the death of the one he cared so much for being his most sensitive subject. Several seconds later, he felt a slight warmth covering his hand and looked up to see a concerned face gazing back down at him. Azure eyes that held such compassion gently urged him to finish as soft little fingers squeezed his own.

Sighing, the demon began to talk much more softly as he came to the end of his story, "One night, Aion … he came back to destroy her … and Chrno tried to protect her, but Aion stabbed them both. Since Chrno was a demon, he had the ability to heal himself, but Mary …"

With one last shuddering breath, he raced through the final sentences of his tale as quickly as possible, trying to avoid them altogether.

"Mary died in Chrno's arms, because of the contract as well as the wounds inflicted on her. There was nothing he could do about it. That's why Sinner Chrno locked himself away in her grave as punishment for his actions … because she was dead … and it was all his fault."

As he concluded the events of his tragic past, Rosette stared helplessly at his attempts to keep his tears hidden. She whispered his name, moving closer to rest her free hand on his shoulder.

"Chrno, I'm going to tell you a story, so listen up okay?" the little blonde suddenly announced, forcing the devil to look up at her in shock. His scarlet eyes were still somewhat glazed with sorrow, but his face held both a surprised and confused expression.

"You can't make fun of me either, 'cause I'm making this up as I go, got that!" she ordered, a completely baffled Chrno nodding his head as if unsure exactly what he was agreeing to.

Rosette cleared her throat as she stood, stepping back quickly while folding her hands behind her back. She was unsure as to what she was supposed to relate his past to, but an idea came to her almost immediately. It was rather strange, but she considered it relevant … to a certain degree.

"Once upon a time, there was a boy and a girl who were really good friends. They never kept secrets from each other and always told each other everything. Because of this, the boy knew for a fact that it was the girl's dream to someday be able to fly, so one day, he decided to help her. He worked for a long time on a special gift for her, and when he was done he presented her with the invention: a pair of homemade wings! The girl was so thrilled, she wanted to try them out immediately, so the two went to the tallest hill in the city together to test the wings. When the girl took off into the air, she felt complete for the first time in her life. She was so happy to be living her life's dream that she forgot something very important; she didn't know how to use the wings properly.

"The boy ran to her rescue when he realized she was falling, but couldn't make it to her in time. She crashed into the ground, just barely alive when he reached her. He apologized repeatedly, blaming himself for what had happened, but the girl shook her head and told him she was grateful. The boy didn't understand.

"'How can you be thanking me at a time like this,' he said, 'You're going to die because of me, you should be angry!'"

"The girl just sighed and explained that because of him, she had lived her life's dream and could die happily. And the reason she was able to fly was because the boy had cared for her enough to help her. She never could have been truly happy without him."

Rosette lifted her head to meet Chrno's eyes, wondering if he had understood the hidden meaning of her story. She was quite proud of how it turned out, making up a story like that on the spot wasn't an easy thing to do, but it would be worthless if she hadn't gotten her point across.

The devil stared at the twelve-year-old with such an intense gaze, his expression unreadable. Though he didn't seem confused, she wasn't quite sure if he knew of her intended purpose.

"Don't you see?" she blurted out, deciding to tell him whether he got it or not. "You blame yourself for her death when in reality, it was _you_ who let her live. You tried to help her, no matter what the cost, and I believe that ultimately, _you_ were the one who saved her. Knowing you cared, I'll bet that was enough for Mary." A pause.

"You weren't the one who took her life away, Chrno, you were the one who _gave_ it to her."

Chrno couldn't speak; he was too choked up with the swarms of emotions launching themselves at his barrier. How could such a young girl be so wise, so understanding toward his situation? He couldn't imagine what he would do without her.

Rosette couldn't help but notice the usually peaceful demon seemed to be battling very hard to keep his feelings in check, and her dislike of seeing others in pain caused her to move forward once again, silently placing the palm of her hand on his trembling shoulder. As Chrno tilted his chin up, she could clearly see the multitudes of emotion flowing through the deep red pools on his face. Grief, despair, guilt, remorse, and many others that she couldn't even begin to name were present, but hidden in the depth of his very being was the tiniest sliver of joy; he was relieved to finally have the burdens of self inflicted blame lifted off his chest. He tried to smile, to thank the one who had saved him so mercifully from himself, but before he could she spoke.

"Why do you bottle up your feelings, Chrno? Don't you know it's better to let them out once in a while?"

The sinner definitely hadn't been expecting that. It was true, he couldn't deny it. Emotions that he didn't want to feel were normally locked away, concealed so he wouldn't have to experience the pain they brought. He didn't like to deal with them, and that was what tore him up inside.

As the seconds ticked by, Chrno's struggle began to fail, his resolve weakening and fading fast. He never saw any movement, but suddenly he felt a pair of warm arms wrap around his neck in a loose embrace.

"Don't hold back anymore," he heard her whisper.

So he didn't.

Clutching the child to him tightly as if she were his last lifeline, Chrno finally allowed what had been festering inside of him for so long be released. Though his body racked with badly suppressed sobs, through it all he was smiling. What had bound him to Magdalene's grave so securely disappeared, for there was someone with him who accepted his faults and didn't blame him for any of them. _He_ wasn't even sure if he could accuse himself for the saint's death anymore.

Although part of him knew it was wrong, he could think of no one else in the world he loved more at this moment than Rosette.

Several minutes later the demon had calmed considerably, but still remained stationed in his child's arms, feeling a soothing peace wash over him as her fingers softly ran through his unbraided hair. He would've fallen asleep at this tranquil motion had a cheerful voice not broken the comfortable silence between the two.

"Hey! Chrno, Rosette, I did it! I really did it!"

Chrno unattached himself from the girl, turning to watch an excited boy stumble up the hill toward them. A delighted smile made its way to Rosette's lips, and seconds later she called out,

"Joshua, I can't believe you pulled it off! That's amazing!"

The second child came to a stop in front of his sister, panting heavily but still grinning from ear to ear. Immediately, he delved into detail about how he 'narrowly avoided danger' and the fact that he 'could have been killed.' All he really did was climb out the window because the door was 'too obvious.'

"They would've been expecting that!" Joshua had stated.

Once all had grown quiet again, Rosette leaned over to her younger brother and whispered something in his ear. Although Chrno felt it was wrong to eavesdrop, he was a curious devil and strained to hear the conversation. He couldn't pick up too much, just various words that made no sense when strung together. Joshua nodded several times, Rosette beginning to giggle slightly.

Chrno had no idea what was going on.

The siblings pulled back momentarily, peace settling over the trio again. The young boy looked at his sister expectantly for several seconds before she moved closer and mumbled one more thing to him.

The silence was broken instantly.

"YOU REALLY MEAN IT? OH ROSETTE, THAT IS SO SWELL! CHRNO, ARE YOU SERIOUSLY GOING TO LET US CAMP OUT WITH YOU TONIGHT!" Joshua exclaimed rather loudly.

Chrno reeled back, making a startled noise as he did so. Camping? Rosette had never mentioned this to him before. He would've remembered her asking.

Without even waiting for a response, the hyperactive boy punched the air, rambling on about everything the three of them could do while his older sister watched in amusement.

That night, the Sinner let the excited children stay with him on a 'campout.' Their presence always brought him comfort, so there was no way he could have refused the two eager faces.

He had to admit, though, that the evening was indeed fun for him just as much as it was for Rosette and Joshua. Chrno was able to laugh for once, not simply humoring the children but laughing along with them as if he meant it. Smiling was another thing he did well that night, the kind that actually reached his eyes and left them glistening with happiness.

Rosette had never told him, but after a while Chrno was positive as to what her motives were for planning something so unexpected with him were. He had opened up and told her something painful to him, and to confide in her took a lot of trust. She realized this easily, and knowing that he had been so vulnerable made her extremely sympathetic toward the poor devil. The reason she had come up with the idea so spontaneously was not so much because she thought it would be fun, but for the sole purpose of making him feel like he wasn't alone anymore.

And he loved her even more for that.

**End**

Okay then … now that I posted a story, anyone wanna tell me if it's good or not? I'm only 14, so there's bound to be a few mistakes here and there. I need to know if people want me to continue writing … I'd like to, but it would be nice to know if I had a fan or two! And if anybody wants to request their fic, I'd be happy to devote some of my limitless time to read and review it (seriously, I have way too much time on my hands)!

Please review … criticism welcome, praise welcome even more!


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